MPH Fall 2018: Applied, Accepted, Waitlisted, Rejected!

[meowmeowfuzzyface]

---

Members don't see this ad.

Congrats. What department?

HBHE and Community Health Sciences

 

[Lady MacBeth]

It depends on where I'm going. I'll start searching seriously for housing after I send in my deposit to my program of choice. If I choose Emory (90% sure that I will 😛) then I might make plans to have my place chosen by early August and/or late July and hopefully be able to fly/drive cross country by mid Aug! 😀

I'm thinking the same thing. I'm probably going to Emory, but I'm not going to commit until I get my financial aid package. I'm looking at apartments now to gather data, but I won't start seriously planning until I've official made my decision. I probably will want an apartment nailed down by midsummer, though, since in my experience it's hard to find apartments in university areas later in the summer. Also, I'll need a roommate, so I'll try to figure out who I'm living with by June, if that's at all possible. Ideally, I'd like to move to Atlanta in early August.

 

[MidnightCafe]

My top choice right now is Emory or Tulane. I will be going to admit day (I'm also from Cali btw!!). I'm going to be looking online for a few apartment complexes before I go to admit day and plan to visit them when I go. I think it'll be an important factor when I choose since housing/cost of living adds up quickly.

 

[numbersloth]

Does anyone know how "academic" Michigan's epidemiology department is? I was admitted for the MPH in Epi and am strongly considering getting a PhD afterwards, but I know each school is different in how much emphasis they put on public health vocational training vs. academic research skills. (I also applied to a variety of schools for MS programs but liked Michigan's MPH curriculum).

 

[JDGBruin1317]

My top choice right now is Emory or Tulane. I will be going to admit day (I'm also from Cali btw!!). I'm going to be looking online for a few apartment complexes before I go to admit day and plan to visit them when I go. I think it'll be an important factor when I choose since housing/cost of living adds up quickly.

I'm from Cali too! 🙂 Some people gave a few suggestions earlier about affordable housing near Emory, so I'll be checking those out online first and if I'm interested in them, I might check a couple out while I'm at the Visit Emory event.

 

[JDGBruin1317]

I'm thinking the same thing. I'm probably going to Emory, but I'm not going to commit until I get my financial aid package. I'm looking at apartments now to gather data, but I won't start seriously planning until I've official made my decision. I probably will want an apartment nailed down by midsummer, though, since in my experience it's hard to find apartments in university areas later in the summer. Also, I'll need a roommate, so I'll try to figure out who I'm living with by June, if that's at all possible. Ideally, I'd like to move to Atlanta in early August.

I totally forgot about the stress of finding reasonably priced apartments, especially when I was in LA. lol Do you know when Emory sends out the finaincial aid packages? It's sometime in March, correct?

 

[optimist123]

Everyone is going to have their own personal line for this. It depends on so much-- Do you have undergrad/previous debt? Can you count on an inheritance/gift from family coming later? Do you expect to pool your debt with any your current/future partner (if that's a thing for you) has? Do you plan to go onto a higher salary position requiring a PhD/MD/etc? What's the cost of living going to be like wherever you plan to live, and are you planning for other big expenses (house/car/kids/etc.) while you're repaying your debt?

$15k is indeed not very realistic. I would love to see stats on average loan amount taken for a 4-semester MPH, but my guess is it's $30-$50k, which would be difficult but not impossible to manage (assuming no previous debt) on a typical terminal-MPH salary. I could be totally off base with this, though.

Does anyone know how much debt is too much for an MPH?
A mentor told me it's not worth going into more than $15k but I feel like that's so unrealistic, especially considering the yearly costs for some of these schools.
Thoughts?

It's not totally unrealistic... I graduated from my MS Epi last year with no debt because the school I attended was generous enough to give masters students teaching/research assistantships that were accompanied with a tuition waiver. The pay was also enough to cover living expenses. Mind you it was a smaller program - for the epi department, there were only 6 students (myself included). I would say none of us graduated with substantial debt from getting our masters.

 

[JDGBruin1317]

It's not totally unrealistic... I graduated from my MS Epi last year with no debt because the school I attended was generous enough to give masters students teaching/research assistantships that were accompanied with a tuition waiver. The pay was also enough to cover living expenses. Mind you it was a smaller program - for the epi department, there were only 6 students (myself included). I would say none of us graduated with substantial debt from getting our masters.

Congrats on graduating with no debt! 🙂 Unfortunately, I can only dream of graduating anywhere debt free. I have a pretty significant amount of debt coming out from undergrad and going back to grad school this fall will definitely add to it. I was briefly thinking about deferring grad school until next year but I would only probably be able to pay off a few thousand before I add more to it, so I might as well go through my two year program now and take out whatever is neccessary and deal with the repayment afterwards.

 

[Lady MacBeth]

I totally forgot about the stress of finding reasonably priced apartments, especially when I was in LA. lol Do you know when Emory sends out the finaincial aid packages? It's sometime in March, correct?

Their website says they start sending out financial aid packages in March. I'll be biting my nails about it until March, I guess.

 

[Herbbq]

I'll probably be the opposition in this statement, but I've worked for the past 8 years and will graduate with no debt because I've saved by working first and getting experience.

I think going into significant debt for MPH is not a good decision.

 

[Cassatrass]

Does anyone know how "academic" Michigan's epidemiology department is? I was admitted for the MPH in Epi and am strongly considering getting a PhD afterwards, but I know each school is different in how much emphasis they put on public health vocational training vs. academic research skills. (I also applied to a variety of schools for MS programs but liked Michigan's MPH curriculum).

From what I can tell, the program sounds VERY research-focused. Lots of opportunity for research and people ending up in hospital/research jobs post-graduation.

One of my best friends just got admitted to their cancer bio Ph.D. program today and is seriously considering going-- which makes me really hope for a scholarship!

 

[deleted891899]

I'll probably be the opposition in this statement, but I've worked for the past 8 years and will graduate with no debt because I've saved by working first and getting experience.

I think going into significant debt for MPH is not a good decision.

I know everyone’s situation is different, but I’ve been really surprised by how many people seem willing to take on such a large amount of debt. I’ve wondered if I’m just more debt-averse because 1) I’ll be 5+ years into my career when I enroll, 2) I picked a low-cost undergrad institution to completely avoid student loans, and 3) I was nearing the end of college at the height of the recession.

Like @wwmmkk said, many factors influence your personal borrowing threshold, but DAMN, I wouldn’t be able to sleep at night with $80-100k plus interest hanging over me. I hope everyone ends up at the program that fits them best, but I also hope no one ends up trapped under crushing debt.

 

[JDGBruin1317]

Their website says they start sending out financial aid packages in March. I'll be biting my nails about it until March, I guess.

Same. It's weird how taking out loans wasn't a big deal for me before I started college because I never gave it a second thought, now I'm stressed about how much more loans I may have to take out and how long, if ever, to pay everything back. Are you going to the Visit Emory event or any other admitted students day at the other schools you accepted in?

 

[babyjane]

Actually, I just got in today!

Congrats!!!!!! That's great to hear - strange with the phone call though....
A few questions:
How do you interpret the phone call? What were they trying to figure out? To take your interest into account in their admissions decision?
When did u apply and when did you get the call ? I submitted yesterday.... did you apply for the april or july?
Does the speed at which they reviewed your aplication give you any hesitation about the quality of the programe?

 

[Ebb55]

I would defer for a year and save to reduce debt, but salary offers that are big enough to save substantially ...require a masters haha. So its a catch 22 for me. Might as well say f it and enroll fall 2018.

 

[Lady MacBeth]

Same. It's weird how taking out loans wasn't a big deal for me before I started college because I never gave it a second thought, now I'm stressed about how much more loans I may have to take out and how long, if ever, to pay everything back. Are you going to the Visit Emory event or any other admitted students day at the other schools you accepted in?

I'm probably not going to go to any of them. I'm traveling internationally in March and Emory's admitted student day is five days after I get back, so I don't really want to buy more plan tickets and skip more classes.

 

[Cassatrass]

I would defer for a year and save to reduce debt, but salary offers that are big enough to save substantially ...require a masters haha. So its a catch 22 for me. Might as well say f it and enroll fall 2018.

Haha right?! I've been working for 2 years and hardly gained anything but experience. Hardly any bachelor's short-term science jobs pay more than the cost of living.

 

[Mph'18]

I'm probably not going to go to any of them. I'm traveling internationally in March and Emory's admitted student day is five days after I get back, so I don't really want to buy more plan tickets and skip more classes.

Since you would probably be visiting Emory in March and we may end up being together for Fall 2018 MPH Epidemiology, I would hope that you keep me updated about the event. Being an international student I will not be able to make it to Emory in March!

 

[kcarlson518]

Just got into Tulane for International Health and Development. I must say, Tulane is one of my top choices but their acceptance email is kind of lacking. The subject was Last Name, First Name and the email had no header logo and was kind of generic.

I think their generic, non-fancy emails could be a psychological strategy - prospective students will see them and think "wow, they devote their money to academics, not fancy branding". haha, just my theory, although one person that emailed me there had a reallyyyy terrible font in their signature and there was no psychological/unconscious upside to that.

Question regarding in-state tuition. Has anyone ever had trouble getting it after they've lived abroad for 2.5 years? I always put my sister's address as my residency and for taxes/bank account/drivers license, etc; and I've paid state taxes; but I haven't been physically present.

 

[boisdejasmin]

In at Drexel + Dean's Scholarship

 

[JDGBruin1317]

I would defer for a year and save to reduce debt, but salary offers that are big enough to save substantially ...require a masters haha. So its a catch 22 for me. Might as well say f it and enroll fall 2018.

That's what i was thinking. I'm hoping my masters degree pays off more than my bachelors degree. Lol

 

[rockclimbermph]

Just paid my admissions deposit at UCLA...kinda crazy that this whole process is over for me. Good luck everyone!!

 

[Cassatrass]

Just paid my admissions deposit at UCLA...kinda crazy that this whole process is over for me. Good luck everyone!!

So happy for you!! Congrats!!

 

[guybrush]

A lot of recent posts indicating people leaning toward Emory/Atlanta...if anyone has any questions about either, feel free to reply or DM me

 

[guybrush]

Also accepting questions about being a renter with a dog (6 years/5 home experience)

 

[kac82]

It's not totally unrealistic... I graduated from my MS Epi last year with no debt because the school I attended was generous enough to give masters students teaching/research assistantships that were accompanied with a tuition waiver. The pay was also enough to cover living expenses. Mind you it was a smaller program - for the epi department, there were only 6 students (myself included). I would say none of us graduated with substantial debt from getting our masters.

What school did you graduate from?

 

[JDGBruin1317]

Just paid my admissions deposit at UCLA...kinda crazy that this whole process is over for me. Good luck everyone!!

Congrats! I know you'll have a lot of fun and gain a lot of experience! Obviously that's my alma mater, so I'm probably biased. Lol

 

[Lady MacBeth]

Since you would probably be visiting Emory in March and we may end up being together for Fall 2018 MPH Epidemiology, I would hope that you keep me updated about the event. Being an international student I will not be able to make it to Emory in March!

Oh, I'm not planning on visiting Emory in March. I went to their open house in October, so I don't really need to and it would be expensive to go.

 

[phclarinetist]

I saw people offering advice about places to live. I went to UNC for undergrad and live in Chapel Hill if anyone has any questions. I didn’t apply to UNC as I have lived in NC since I was 4 and need to get out, but it’s still a great area.

 

[Lady MacBeth]

A lot of recent posts indicating people leaning toward Emory/Atlanta...if anyone has any questions about either, feel free to reply or DM me

I'll take you up on this! Are there any apartment complexes reasonably close to campus that are just basic, pared-down apartments? I'm seeing a lot of luxury apartment with swimming pools and workout rooms and all sorts of things, but I know realistically that I'm never going to use all the amenities so I'd just as soon not have them. Any recommendations?

 

[lilycat123]

Hey guys! I was wondering if anyone can tell me the difference between UCLA and UC Berkeley, both in program/school life and living in their respective cities (environment, people, commute times, cost of living, etc.)??

 

[dirhoy]

Help
I am overwhelmed with the number of schools and I need a couple of safe programs.
My stats are not that good. But I want to get into MS epidemiology.
Undergrad: bachelor of pharmacy (foreign school graduate)
Gre: V 149 Q 153 AWA 3
Toefl: 98
Experience: 4 years pharmacist (3 community pharmacist and 1 hospital pharmacist)
1 year program officer in international bilateral cooperation agency
1 year CVS clerk
No publications
Applied: jhu, harv, Yale, GU
Rejected from Jhu 🙁 huge wake up call I need to apply to more Safe schools.
Please any suggestions

 

[guybrush]

I'll take you up on this! Are there any apartment complexes reasonably close to campus that are just basic, pared-down apartments? I'm seeing a lot of luxury apartment with swimming pools and workout rooms and all sorts of things, but I know realistically that I'm never going to use all the amenities so I'd just as soon not have them. Any recommendations?

I wish I knew more but I only did house shares in Atlanta (except when I lived on-campus in undergrad). I did have a friend that lived in Emory Woods Apartments near N Decatur/Clairmont, that was very pared down. I would also look at some of the smaller complexes on Briarcliff and Ponce de Leon.

 

[guybrush]

Also, for people looking at Emory who don't have cars - look at the free commuter shuttle routes and narrow down your housing options along those routes. transportation . emory . edu/shuttles/index.html

 

[Ebb55]

Help
I am overwhelmed with the number of schools and I need a couple of safe programs.
My stats are not that good. But I want to get into MS epidemiology.
Undergrad: bachelor of pharmacy (foreign school graduate)
Gre: V 149 Q 153 AWA 3
Toefl: 98
Experience: 4 years pharmacist (3 community pharmacist and 1 hospital pharmacist)
1 year program officer in international bilateral cooperation agency
1 year CVS clerk
No publications
Applied: jhu, harv, Yale, GU
Rejected from Jhu 🙁 huge wake up call I need to apply to more Safe schools.
Please any suggestions

What's your WES GPA? Can you see yourself boosting that GRE score in ~2 weeks? If so, retake and shoot for March and rolling admissions deadlines. JHU requires a TOEFL of 100 too, and I suspect that's why you were rejected. look up whether the rest of the schools have that hard requirement. If they do, think about taking another gap year to retake the TOEFL and GRE. If you're going to go in debt for MPH, its better to take another year and strengthen your application and end up in a school you actually want to attend, rather than a "safety" you don't even like.

 

[outdoorsyaznmph]

Accepted to Johns Hopkins MSPH in International Health (Global Disease & Epidemiology)!!!
I logged into the portal this morning (2/4) and received my decision. I submitted my application on 11/22 and was verified on 12/1.
The portal mentioned an email will be sent confirming the decision 2-3 days later. Can't believe it!!

 

[megarita]

Accepted to Johns Hopkins MSPH in International Health (Global Disease & Epidemiology)!!!
I logged into the portal this morning (2/4) and received my decision. I submitted my application on 11/22 and was verified on 12/1.
The portal mentioned an email will be sent confirming the decision 2-3 days later. Can't believe it!!

Congrats!!

Does anyone else see a decision on their portal? Mine still says application sent for review, so I'm hoping I'm still in this!

 

[Sth1022]

Congrats!!

Does anyone else see a decision on their portal? Mine still says application sent for review, so I'm hoping I'm still in this!

Same! I applied for the MPH - Full time for Summer (July) 2018 program at JHu.i submitted my application 11/29 and received a verification email from JHU on 12/03. This is freaking me out. But congrats to everyone who got in. Sitting here with a mini heart attack every time I log into the portal now...

 

[Cassatrass]

Congrats!!

Does anyone else see a decision on their portal? Mine still says application sent for review, so I'm hoping I'm still in this!

Saaaaaame!

 

[Plainusername1]

Hi! Been following this thread for months, but this is my first post! Congrats to everyone on their acceptances, and best of luck to everyone still waiting to hear back!

Undergrad School: Large Tech School
Undergrad GPA: 3.72
Major/Minor: Biotechnology, Molecular Biology/ German
GRE: (taken 8/5/2017) 163V, 158Q, 4.0W
Experience/Research: Two semesters of undergrad research (not public health-related), two years of clinical research work experience
Special factors: LGBTQ+

Interested in: epidemiology, molecular epidemiology, infectious disease, tropical medicine, oncoviruses
Applied: (all submitted 11/29 for MPH Epi Programs) UMN, Tulane, GWU, Boston, Emory
Accepted: UMN 12/12, Tulane 12/13, GWU 12/19, Boston 12/21 (+20K), Emory 1/29

I'm still waiting on financial aid packages from schools, but I think it'll come down to Emory or Tulane! I know I really need to narrow down my interests, but I'm most interested in infectious disease epidemiology. If anyone has any advice on how to decide between these two programs, I'm all ears!

Also, I got a voicemail and an email from a grad student at Tulane on Friday to congratulate me on my acceptance and ask if I had any questions that might help me in making my decision. Has anyone else gotten this? I'm assuming it's a good sign and means that they're interested?

 

[dirhoy]

What's your WES GPA? Can you see yourself boosting that GRE score in ~2 weeks? If so, retake and shoot for March and rolling admissions deadlines. JHU requires a TOEFL of 100 too, and I suspect that's why you were rejected. look up whether the rest of the schools have that hard requirement. If they do, think about taking another gap year to retake the TOEFL and GRE. If you're going to go in debt for MPH, its better to take another year and strengthen your application and end up in a school you actually want to attend, rather than a "safety" you don't even like.

My WES GPA is 3.37
Unfortunately I am having troubles with standardized tests because of brain pseudotumor and i don't think this problem will get better since the doctors can't figure out the causes yet. Now I am trying to get a disability accommodations from ETS but that will take months. Even if I get the accommodation i may not get better scores.
That is why I am trying to get accepted into any program possible. I waited more than five years for my health to get better and it only went worse. I don't want to wait any longer I will just move on and do my best.

 

[JDGBruin1317]

Hey guys! I was wondering if anyone can tell me the difference between UCLA and UC Berkeley, both in program/school life and living in their respective cities (environment, people, commute times, cost of living, etc.)??

I can't speak on anything about Berkeley but I went to UCLA for undergrad and can give you a little insight on the school and city. Los Angeles is a very big and vibrant city, so expect a lot of traffic. The apartments are a little on the high side but having roomates definitely helps with the cost. The public transportation is very good and there is a student discount which is pretty affordable. There are graduate housing but I'm not sure about the prices because I lived in regular apartment complexes. If you have anymore questions about UCLA in general or Los Angeles, DM me!

What program did you apply for at UCLA?

 

[mooseluva12]

Does anyone know how realistic it would be to work part time, at a low stress/commitment job, while attending school full time? I can stay on at my current FT job working less hours and still get the tuition reimbursement. I'm no stranger to 12 hour days and am willing to sacrifice my social life, I just want to make sure I wouldn't crash and burn.

 

[JDGBruin1317]

Undergrad School: UCLA
Undergrad GPA/Major GPA: 3.341 (overall)/3.757 (major)
Major/Minor: Human Biology & Society and Global Health minor
GRE (including date taken) or Other Test (if applicable): GRE taken April 8, 2017 - V 145 (27%), Q 148 (30%), Writing 4 (60%)
Experience/Research (please, be brief):

- Qualitative social science research with a professor in my department using excel 2016 Spring Quarter)
- Transcribed interviews and did data entries for health service project with a doctor at UCLA’s pediatric office (2 years)
- Independent research study into Acinetobacter Baumannii bacteria and antibiotic usage with a well known professor in my department (2017 Spring Quarter)
- Financial Director of the Black Hypertension project (1 year)
- Health Careers Connection Intern during Summer 2015
- Environmental Health Extern (1 year)

Special factors: I did a lot of community health work and presentations throughout high school, and I described an encounter with an audience member that influenced me to pursue a career in public health in my personal statements. 🙂

Letter of Reccomendations:
A professor whom I did qualitative social science research with for a couple quarters and took/did well in her social science health movement course;

Respected Health Academic Program director and former professor;

Former high school health teacher/internship supervisor/mentor who is also the coordinator of the health academy I was involved in high school

***Please include the following whenever possible: specific concentration/track, dates, type of correspondence (phone, email, letter, etc.), scholarships/grants.***

Interested in: Health policy, health disparities, healthcare accessibility
Applied(include the date of application):

UCLA (11/29 - Health Policy & Management)
Emory University (11/29 - Health Policy & Management)
Colorado School of Public Health (11/29 - Health Systems, Management & Policy)
Charles Drew University of Medicine and Science (11/29 - Urban Health Disparities)

Accepted: Charles Drew University of Medicine and Science (12/8), Emory (1/29), Colorado (2/2)
Rejected: UCLA (2/10)
Waitlisted:
Attending:

I hope I can be an example for next year's thread to show that a low GRE score should not deter you from applying to top schools or even your dream school. Just go for it!

 

[Sth1022]

I hope I can be an example for next year's threat to show that a low GRE score should not deter you from applying to top schools or even your dream school. Just go for it!

YES - SLAY. You're an inspiration to me too

 

[JDGBruin1317]

YES - SLAY. You're an inspiration to me too

Aw thanks! I actually meant to say "thread". lol Its sad how much weight and pressure a lot of people put on test scores and themselves, especially when they do not score well or in the percentile that is considered competitive. For me personally, I'm not a good test taker and I didn't feel competitive enough or at the same level compared to other applicants who scored well. Even though test scores are components in applications, they definietly aren't the most important or decision factor in many admissions. I'm just glad that I didn't limit myself and pushed myself to go for the goal and apply to my dream school!

 

[kcarlson518]

Also, I got a voicemail and an email from a grad student at Tulane on Friday to congratulate me on my acceptance and ask if I had any questions that might help me in making my decision. Has anyone else gotten this? I'm assuming it's a good sign and means that they're interested?

No, I got accepted about a month ago but I haven't gotten anything like this! I bet it depends on the department though :]

 

[optimist123]

What school did you graduate from?

UMass Amherst - not a big name school but for my research interests, it was a perfect fit!

 

[deleted891899]

Does anyone else feel like waiting for admissions decisions was easier than waiting to find out about financial aid? 😱

 

[pubhealth18]

Does anyone have any insight on Emory Global Health Epi vs. Michigan Global Health Epi with regards to strength of program, reputation, accessibility of faculty, etc? Also go ahead and ignore the CDC tie, I know that is what Emory tends to push forward as a major pro of their program so I am looking for things beyond that. Thanks!